SQL Server to PostgreSQL Migration
Automated T-SQL to PL/pgSQL transpilation, IDENTITY column sync, full schema migration, and CDC-based zero-downtime cutover — so you can move off SQL Server without rewriting your application logic by hand.
Key Syntax Differences
DBMigrateAIPro detects and rewrites these patterns automatically in DDL, stored procedures, views, and triggers.
SERIAL / SEQUENCEAuto-synced during bulk migration
SELECT … LIMIT NTranspiled in stored procedures
COALESCE(expr, val)ANSI-standard replacement
TEXT / VARCHAR(n)Unicode handled natively in PG
TIMESTAMPPrecision preserved up to 6 digits
NOW()Replaced in DDL and procedures
Migration Steps
Connect
Provide SQL Server credentials or use Windows Trusted Authentication. Supports both pyodbc and pymssql drivers, named instances, and encrypted connections.
Assess
Automated schema scan identifies IDENTITY columns, computed columns, XML type columns, and CLR objects that require manual review or special handling.
Migrate
Parallel bulk copy with SET IDENTITY_INSERT handling. Tables are streamed in batches; foreign-key order is resolved automatically via dependency graph.
Validate + CDC Cutover
Row-count and hash verification on every table. Switch application traffic with zero downtime using SQL Server CDC LSN tracking to replay any changes made during migration.
T-SQL → PL/pgSQL Transpilation
Example stored procedure — before and after. DBMigrateAIPro rewritesTOP, ISNULL, GETDATE(), SET NOCOUNT ON, and IDENTITY references automatically.
-- SQL Server: stored procedure
CREATE PROCEDURE dbo.usp_GetTopOrders
@CustomerId INT,
@MaxRows INT = 10
AS
BEGIN
SET NOCOUNT ON;
SELECT TOP (@MaxRows)
o.OrderId,
o.OrderDate,
ISNULL(o.ShipName, 'Unknown') AS ShipName,
o.TotalAmount
FROM dbo.Orders o
WHERE o.CustomerId = @CustomerId
AND o.OrderDate >= GETDATE() - 365
ORDER BY o.TotalAmount DESC;
END;-- PostgreSQL: equivalent function
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION usp_get_top_orders(
p_customer_id INTEGER,
p_max_rows INTEGER DEFAULT 10
)
RETURNS TABLE (
order_id INTEGER,
order_date TIMESTAMP,
ship_name TEXT,
total_amount NUMERIC
)
LANGUAGE plpgsql AS $$
BEGIN
RETURN QUERY
SELECT
o.order_id,
o.order_date,
COALESCE(o.ship_name, 'Unknown'),
o.total_amount
FROM orders o
WHERE o.customer_id = p_customer_id
AND o.order_date >= NOW() - INTERVAL '1 year'
ORDER BY o.total_amount DESC
LIMIT p_max_rows;
END;
$$;Type Mapping Reference
| SQL Server Type | PostgreSQL Type |
|---|---|
INT | INTEGER |
BIGINT | BIGINT |
BIT | BOOLEAN |
FLOAT | DOUBLE PRECISION |
REAL | REAL |
DECIMAL(p,s) / NUMERIC(p,s) | NUMERIC(p,s) |
VARCHAR(n) | VARCHAR(n) |
NVARCHAR(n) / NVARCHAR(MAX) | TEXT |
TEXT | TEXT |
IMAGE / VARBINARY(MAX) | BYTEA |
DATETIME | TIMESTAMP(3) |
DATETIME2 | TIMESTAMP(7) |
SMALLDATETIME | TIMESTAMP(0) |
DATE | DATE |
XML | XML (or TEXT) |
UNIQUEIDENTIFIER | UUID |
MONEY / SMALLMONEY | NUMERIC(19,4) |
Prerequisites
DBMigrateAIPro targets SQL Server 2014 and above. SQL Server 2019 and Azure SQL Database are fully tested.
Schema introspection requires sysadmin or the VIEW SERVER STATE and SELECT on all tables permissions at minimum.
Install the Microsoft ODBC Driver 17/18 for pyodbc, or use pymssql for Linux environments without ODBC.
Enable CDC on the source database before starting migration: EXEC sys.sp_cdc_enable_db. Required for zero-downtime cutover.
Ready to migrate?
Read the full setup guide or start your free trial — no credit card required.